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Planning App Development – The Important Questions

Creative27March 6, 2018

When it comes to planning app development, many people jump right into the project. Some will simply duplicate a successful idea from another person; others will turn to renowned app developers, while there are those who take a gamble on it. However, it does not take long for them to realize that they aren’t getting positive feedback. The public or target market doesn’t respond to it as desired, it may be affected by bugs that need fixing, or it doesn’t solve the problem that it was bound to do. This usually happens after spending lots of money, effort and also time in the different stages of development. You can avoid the above risks/mistakes by asking yourself the following questions.

Whom are you targeting?

Did you know that a majority of the apps out there are not successful? One of the main reasons for their failure is that the creator didn’t take the time to understand the target market. He/she simply heard of a good idea and rushed to make money from it.

The app market is very broad and keeps changing every other day. In fact, you will find so many apps that seek to offer solutions to the same problem. To avoid failure, it’s paramount you not only know but also understand your market. Know who they are (teens, adults, gamers, students, travelers, adventurers, and stay at home moms….), how they think and communicate, the common problems they face etc. Talking to them through one-on-one interaction, social media, or engaging research companies helps to shed more light on the market.

What gap/problem will the app solve?

On paper, solving a problem may seem easy. I mean, I have noticed that the cookbooks on the market are a bit too detailed. Therefore, an app that contains simple recipes would be more appropriate, right. Well, it is never that easy to be 100% sure of the suitable fix to a problem. You need to spend quite some time to ascertain that your solution is the best

Other people will probably have tried this before you and failed. Usually, it is because of focusing on the bigger picture or the symptoms. You should look at the underlying problem and have the simplest solutions to it. Being too technical is more likely to turn away or disorient a potential user. Talking to experts and other app developers who share your vision is always helps.

What is your strategy like?

Yes, you are convinced that it is the right time for planning app development. However, how are you going to do it? There are many ways of creating and rolling out an app. What may work for you, your app, or market may not be effective for another person or market. For instance, the method you use for an educational app may be a little different from a gaming app because the first one is more focused on intellectual information while the other one is more about fun.

During the planning, it is critical to have clear-cut guidelines on the strategies you will be using. Will you be working alone or with a friend? Is it better to ask friends to develop the design or hire a freelancer? Who will take care of the funding, marketing, and rolling out the app? These are some of the queries that require answers.

How different is your app from others?

Many people are always excited at the thought of the app being well received in the market, solving problems, and most importantly making money. They will come up with the best app design and ensure the title and description are catchy and search-engine friendly. Unfortunately, only a few sit down and compare it to other similar ones. The App store has so many similar apps that have the same visions or goals. And if yours falls short, then chances of it being picked over another one are slim.

You should compare your app to others or ask an expert to do it on your behalf. This will offer more information on why the competitor seems better than yours, why your app has a comparative advantage, and how to incorporate new things you have gotten from a rival app. For your app to be more visible and effective, it needs to have more benefits than its rivals do

How do you expect to make money from the app?

One crucial query that needs answers during planning app development is how you will make money from it. The truth is that most people get satisfaction from making money from the app. In fact, many people have turned app development into a full-time job. They make a good income from it. However, unless you have clarity on how to monetize the app, then you may never recoup your expenses leave alone making a profit.

Monetizing the app is not easy as there are many market factors that influence it such as market reception, SERP ranking on search engines, user experience, cost, and much more. It is essential to make certain the pricing is right. You also need to calculate all your costs including maintenance costs before deciding on the final price.

What marketing strategies will you use?

There is more to app marketing that just placing it on the App Store. You need to promote it as much as you can. This is the only way your target audience will get to know about it. Your market, resources, app type and many other things will influence the marketing techniques you apply. It is critical to choose the best because you don’t want to spend money or time on a technique that has little or no results.

The app design should be catchy to stand out from others. You also should pay attention to ASO (App Store Optimization), SEO for Apps (Search Engine Optimization), and Backlinking. You can market it through Social Media, Marketing companies, and other ways. It is vital to rely on Analytics to gauge the app’s reception and performance in the market. With the backing of an app design agency, you will not only get feedback but also tweak the app in a timely manner for better effect.

When will you release the app?

One of the hardest tasks when planning app development is identifying the right launch date. Launching it too early is as ineffective as doing it too late. You don’t want to release the app a few days after a similar one has been released. Chances are the consumers will be focusing on the earlier one and will not have any interest for yours, as it would be seen as a copy cat. You also don’t want to release similar apps all at once since users rarely download numerous apps at the same time.

The word from the experts is to plan for several releases over time, with the later ones being tweaked to solve earlier issues or problems. You should also maintain a window period of about 2 months if you are to release an upgraded version.

In Conclusion

When done right, developing and implementing an app will be less stressful. Chances of it getting poor reception in the market will be low, it will offer the best solutions, and the returns on investment (ROI) will be realized sooner rather than later. To boost the success of the app, you should use the above questions as your guideline. Ensure that you tick each question once you have found the answer to it. When planning app development, you should consider engaging an experienced and credible app developing company which is highly knowledgeable in the field of your app. They must be familiar with similar apps and the market overall and have many ideas and solutions in mind for your app to succeed.